Growing up in Rindge, Eric and Luke Hansen were the nicest kids you would ever want to know. Our hats are off to their parents and our dear friends, Tina and Ron Hansen for raising such terrific boys that matured into such great men and Air Force officers and leaders. Luke is now in the private sector but this is after serving numerous tours in Iraq. Eric on the other hand is in the thick of it and doing this country a great service.

Captain Eric Hansen is the commanding officer of the elite Air Force Combat Rescue team known as the 38th Squadron and is now serving in Afghanistan. Capt. Hansen and his team are being featured in a never-been-done before six-part National Geographic Channel series called “Inside Combat Rescue,” which premiered Feb. 18 at 10 p.m. It will continue for the next five Mondays. This is the first time in history that the Air Force has ever let any cameras on board such high level intense sensitive combat rescue missions. After viewing the first episode Monday evening, we now have a whole new perspective on Capt. Hansen.

This is not a made-for-TV reality show and these guys and gals are not actors. This is the real deal, real life, gut wrenching stuff that makes us all cringe at war but honor and thank the warriors for their bravery and courage.

A few years ago when Eric came to our home before he went into this area of the military, he asked my wife, “Should I do this?” Her reply was, “If I were your mother I would say, ‘Please don’t.’ But if I was the mother of the son that you were rescuing then I would say, ‘Please do and thank you from the bottom of my heart.’”

We watched the first segment of this National Geographic series in Connecticut on Monday night. It ended at 11 p.m. Then the 11 p.m. Connecticut news came on and lo and behold the first soldier that Eric and his team rescued in the show was on the news with his wife and new baby and his family and friends shown watching the series.

Believe me when I say that the mother and wife and baby and family were deeply grateful that Eric and his team came to his rescue, and so are we.